Five on Friday {January 31, 2014}

Happy Friday!! Linking up with Darci again today for Five on Friday!

One.
Winter Gridlock 2014. Wow. We have had such a crazy week here in Alabama. There was a light dusting of snow forecasted for Tuesday afternoon. As I was getting ready for work that morning, I told Daniel how I hoped we would get out of school early and maybe even have a snow day on Wednesday. My goodness, be careful what you wish for. It started snowing around 9:45 on Tuesday morning and my students and I all excitedly gathered around the windows to watch.

Everything was covered with snow and school was scheduled to dismiss at 11:30. About the time we had called all the parents and had all the kids on the buses, we got the news that the buses were grounded and all parents would have to come to the school to pick their kids up. The roads turned to sheets of ice immediately, people were abandoning their cars and walking, pretty much all the roads were at a complete standstill. So...we had to call parents again and tell them they had to come and get their children. This led to more reports from parents telling us how terrible the roads were.

This pregnant lady was getting pretty anxious at the thought of possibly being stranded overnight at school and the Braxton Hicks were kicking up. Daniel had already tried to leave his office, but couldn't even get out of the parking deck because there were so many cars that were already stuck and in the way. He ended up having to spend the night there. I was so thankful {and now realize even more how incredibly blessed I was} that my dad was able to come and get me at school in his four wheel drive truck. It took us four hours to get home {about 8 miles} and the only reason we made it was because he drove in the grassy median for the last couple of miles. The roads were solid ice and at a complete standstill. Here are just a few pictures of what the roads looked like. There were areas that were much worse.

Several teachers stayed at school over night with the kids whose parents weren't able to get there. Bless their hearts! There are so many amazing stories! All in all, I feel so, so blessed that I was one of the few that actually got to be in my own home that night. Daniel finally made it home on Wednesday night, and even though I missed him like crazy, I'm so thankful he was only away for one night. Many people were separated from their families much longer. I'm also *incredibly* thankful that I wasn't closer to my due date! Many women had babies at home or in their cars. I can only imagine how terrifying that would be!

Two.
Because of all the snow and ice, we didn't have school Wednesday, Thursday, or today. Of course, I would never wish for these weather situations, but the days off and extra rest have been wonderful! And now, I only have five more weeks of work before my maternity leave starts!! Unless the baby gets ornery and decides to come earlier...

Three.
We're leaving this afternoon for our babymoon in Nashville!! I'm so ready for a weekend away with my sweetheart in a beautiful place. Lots of relaxing, eating, and probably some shopping for the baby.

Our last trip to Opryland ~ April 2013

Four.
I have come to terms with the fact that the nursery will probably not be done by the time the baby is born. I just don't have a final vision of what I want it to look like which makes it very challenging to find things. I wish I wasn't so darn indecisive! :-\ The thought of having it completely done was just becoming overwhelming to me, and it was starting to be not so fun. I definitely want the whole process to be fun, so I'm just going to chill out and do a little bit at a time. It will be okay. :) I have ordered a few more things that I'm super excited about.

{via}

I pray that we are able to teach our daughter the true meaning of these words and that they will be forever in her heart.

{via}

Five.
One thing I do know for sure is that I want hair bows for the baby! Lots of hair bows. I haven't ordered any yet, but I found an online shops that is very reasonably priced. I didn't see anything more than $4.00!! I'm planning to place an order soon. Does anyone else have any hair bow secrets you're willing to share? ;)

Polka Dot Posies

Enjoy your weekend, everyone! :)

  

{Five on Friday} October 25, 2013

Oh happy day...it's Friday!!! Also known as "Croissan'wich Day" in my house these last couple of months. Yes, the trend has continued and I look forward to my Croissan'wich every. single. week. :) Here's my five on Friday for this week...make sure you read all the way to the end. I'm sharing an *incredible* video today that someone shared with me. You've got to check it out!

Happy Friday! :)

 

One.
I cannot even believe that next Thursday is Halloween! I love Halloween...not for all the creepy, scary stuff, but for the fun stuff. Like candy. And Reese's peanut butter pumpkins. And candy. Anyway...Halloween is not super fun as a teacher. I mean, it's fun, but it's *wild* fun. Like the kids are c-r-a-z-y. I'm always glad when the day is over. This year for their Halloween treat, I made them these monster water bottles and taped a sugar-free {you know, to help with the crazy} packet of Hawaiian punch on it. I love how they turned out and I think the kids will love them, too. I found the water bottle printables at Catch My Party.

Two.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was struggling with figuring out something festive to put on our front door. Struggling = buying all the supplies to make a wreath and then returning them all out of fear that I won't like the finished project. Well, I ended up just buying something that was already made and I love it. And it was cheaper than all my wreath supplies. Win! I also love it because it will work for September, October, and November.

Three.
I think we found the photographer {Fresh Grace Photography} we're going to use for our maternity pictures and newborn pictures. I *love* the pictures she has in her online galleries. Now I just need to scour Pinterest for some maternity picture ideas and outfit ideas. Cute maternity clothes have *not* been easy to find.

Four.
Speaking of pictures, I found this cute Etsy shop called BirdieGoGo that does sets of frames for gallery walls. These frames are just what I need. I feel like they're really reasonably priced, too! I have wanted a gallery wall ever since we moved in our house, but have never had the nerve to buy a bunch of frames and go for it. I'm thinking this set will be just perfect to use for the sweet baby pictures in our future. And the wedding picture that's still on our bedroom floor after three years. I know. I'm ashamed.

{via}

Five.
Someone recently sent me this YouTube video called "Who You Are: A Message To All Women". It talks about who we are in Christ and it's incredibly powerful. This video pretty much sums up in three minutes everything that Daniel and I hope and pray that we can teach our daughter. You've got to watch it. I dare you not to get goosebumps. {There is also a "Who You Are: A Message To All Men" video. Click here to watch that one.}


Thanks for reading! Wherever you are and whatever life brings you this weekend, I hope it's wonderful. :)

  

{5 on Friday} August 9, 2013

Happy Friday!! Every year, this particular Friday is always a little bit of a "downer" for me since it's my last official week day of summer break. Once I get back into the school routine {getting up early}, I'll be fine, but really, who *wants* to give up all day freedom and go back to work?! :) We have a fun weekend planned, though! We're heading to Montgomery tonight to have dinner with Daniel's parents, and then on Saturday we're going on our annual back to school date to The Cheesecake Factory! If you've been reading along, you know that I'm pretty excited about this!! :)

Anyway, here's my five on Friday link-up for this week! Whatever you end up doing this weekend, I hope it's wonderful!! :)

One.
Last night we were watching the news and saw a little snippet about the first Alabama football game. We were like, "How fun would it be to go to the game?" We pretty much immediately dismissed the idea because we thought that there was no way we could afford tickets. Just for fun, we looked them up and ended up finding a good deal!! I *never* thought I would get excited about going to a football game, but living in the south has made me a huge fan!! And, thanks to my husband, I actually understand how the game works now. We've only been to one Alabama game and that was four years ago, so we're SO excited!!!

Two.
I got to have one last lunch out for the summer with Daniel yesterday. Being able to have lunch with him during the week is something I love so much about summer!! He'll come to have lunch with me a few times during the school year, but it's just not quite the same... It probably has something to do with being in a noisy lunchroom full of 300 kids. Just maybe. ;)

Three.
Since I am heading back to school next week, my mom wanted to have a tea party with us girls {and my dad came, too! :)}. I'm so thankful to live close to my family so we can do these kinds of things. My niece, Vanna, LOVES tea parties and she had so much fun helping Nana get everything ready. Let me tell you, my mom went all out. She tends to do that sometimes...especially when buying produce. ;) This was quite the tea party! We had tea, scones {plain, blueberry, and chocolate chip} with Devonshire cream and lemon curd, quiche, mini chicken salad croissants, fruit, lemon tart, and dainty, little cookies. I know. And I'm sorry if you're reading this while hungry. :) Everything was so pretty and so delicious! I think the quiche was my favorite - Swiss, bacon, and green onions. I will have to share some of my mom's recipes on the blog sometime. She's an amazing cook!

Four.
On a more serious note, God has been giving me lots of opportunities to trust Him lately. I have to say, I'm a worrier and trust is something that's hard for me. I know that I *can* trust the Lord, it's just hard for me to let go of worrying about situations sometimes. Over and over recently, He has worked things out so seamlessly...even better than I hoped. I'm so thankful for a Father who loves us and wants to bless us. I LOVE this quote below. It's so good to know that God holds everything in His hands and will do what is best for His children. And this leads me to number five...

Five.
I really don't have any words for this song other than thankful. 



Have a wonderful weekend! :)